Battery group assembling apparatus



June 8, 1954 s. A. DONATI-1 BATTERY GROUP ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

June 8, 1954 G. A. DONATI-l BATTERY GROUP ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 2 m w I l 2 4 5 w ON 7 A s M June 8, 1954 G. A. DoNArH BATTERY GRouP AssEMBLTNG APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 19, 1952 web@ R. m m m R June 8, 1954 G. A. DoNATH BATTERY GROUP AssEMBLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 19, 1952 www u, WM. CNT mf e N E V W am p m V. B mm. N: u Om. d,I v A Nv .Y w O ms ou Ess .um

June 8, 1954 G. A. DONATI-l 2,680,510 BATTERY GROUP AssEMBLING APPRRATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. I?

4 BY 'Il l! @Traag/Eff a 11T-inw Patented June 8, 1954 een UNITED STATES FATENT FFICE 2,680,510 BATTERY GROUP ASSEMBLIN G APPARATUS George A. Donath, Los Application January 19, 1952,

17 Claims. l

This invention relates to the art of manufacturing lead-acid storage batteries and more parserve supply.

In practice it is desirable to assemble the plates and separators in the form of vertical stacks and therefore the plates should be dispensed from suppls7 stacks that a vertical supply stack of any substantial height, however, a great deal of Weigh ottom p Angeles, Calif.

Serial No. 267,256

tery plate separator. A feature of the preferred the fall of the Such a plate magazine may be used in various arrangements for assembling the plates and separators of a battery cell. In the preferred practice or" the invention, for example, a conveyor by moving the conveyor intermittently.

rator dispensing stations. nly twenty-one staif each station has both a plate dispenser and a separator dispenser means for dispensing plates and separators to the conveyor.

d embodiment of the plate magazine is that its dis pensing means continually urges the plates in the magazine away from the open side of the magazine, as will be explained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plate magazine and a dispensing mechanism for the magazine both of which may be readily adjusted not only to accommodate and dispense plates of varying widths, but also to accommodate and dispense plates of various thicknesses.

A further specific object is to provide a suitable plate dispensing mechanism for operation above a conveyor and a suitable cooperating separator dispensing mechanism for operation to one side of the path of the conveyor.

The various objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in theollowing detailed description considered with the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustrative,

Figure i is an end elevation of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention with parts broken away and parts in section for clarity of illustration Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same end of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line -S of Figure l;

Figure e is a perspective view of two plates and two separators in their relative positions of assembly on the conveyor;

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view corresponding to a portion of Figure i;

Figure 6 is a further enlarged fragment of Figure 6 showing the plate magazine alone with the rotary dispensing mechanism in one position in its cycle oi operation;

Figure is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the rotary dispensing mechanism in another position in its cycle of operation;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view on a reduced scale taken as indicated by the line 8 8 of Figure 6; and

Figure 9 is a similar view taken as indicated by the line -S of Figure 7.

The function of -the apparatus is toassemble a stack of battery plates and separators in the order indicated in Figure 4. In this order the negative plates designated N and the positive plates designated P alternate and the successive plates arevseparated by separators designated S. It will be noted in -Figure 4 that a separator Shas a plane face on one side, and the other side is provided with transverse ribs I0 forming grooves H. The purpose of the grooves is to provide increased accessibility to the two facesgof each positive plate -P on the part of the battery fluid and therefore, as may be seen in Figure 4, the grooved faces o the successive separators S in the assembled stack ace up and down alternatelyto lie against the positive plates.

As heretofore stated, it is contemplated that the plates and separators, will be deposited on a conveyor at successive stations along the pathV of the conveyor, and in the preferred practice of the invention to which the presentV disclosure is directed, it is further contemplated that the conveyor will vmove intermittently to aord sufcient pause at eachstation to permit both a plate and a separator to be deposited in succession on the conveyor. The number of such stations, of course, will depend upon the number of plates to be assembled in a stack. At present batteries are made'with asfew vasthirteenplates per cell and d as many as twenty-one plates per cell, but more frequently there are either iiiteen or seventeen plates in a cell. Preferably, the present apparatus is constructed to provide twenty-one stations for the assembly of twenty-one plates so that the apparatus may be employed to assemble any nurnber of plates nov.r required in battery manufacture. il less than twenty-one plates are to be assembled only a corresponding number of the i stat-ions are used.

General arrangement The conveyor comprises a flexible belt is that is actuated by a drive roller i5 at the discharge end of the apparatus and at the other end of the apparatus passes around an idler roller IB journalled in a pair of fixed arms il. The upper run of the belt lli, on which the assembling operations are carried out, is suitably supported, for example, by spaced longitudinal rails i3 (Figure Positioned directly above the conveyor belt It at equally spaced stations along the path of travel of the upper run of the belt are supply magazines generally designated 2d for holding supply stacks of 'he battery plates P and N, respectively, each of which magazines has a suitable dispensing mechanism. Preferably, the dispensing mechanism comprises a set or plurality of rotary dispensing members 2l. Since each of the battery plates is formed with a tab :22 at one corner for connection to a battery post strap in the completed cell, and since the positive and negative plates are to be connected on opposite sides of the completed cell, the negative plates are placed in the magazines in one position with respect to the plate tab 22 and the positive plates are placed in the magazines in reverse positions, as may be seen in plan in Figure 3.

.fit the same station as each plate magazine 2%, except at the last station on the discharge end of the apparatus, there is a corresponding separator magazine, generally designated 25, to one side of the path of travel of the conveyor belt l.

t is contemplated that the conveyor belt lli will move intermittently, each periodic advance of the belt equa-lling the distance between stations and each pause being of sumcient duration to permit nrst the dropping or a battery plate from the corresponding plate magazine 2&3, and then the placingof a separator S from the corresponding separator magazine 25 on the dropped plate. As may be seen in Figure the separators S are stacked in the successive separator magazines 25 face up and face down at alternate stations. The separator magazines 25 are provided with suitable dispensing mechanism preferably in the iorm of a reciprocating dispensing member 23 whichdisplaces the bottommost separator from the stack, laterally to the conveyor belt it.

To support this general arrangement of cooperating parts, the apparatus may be built with a frame comprising a plurality of transverse upright base members or pedestals 39 that are interconnected by suitable tie rods 3l and nuts 32 near oor level and are further interconnected at their upper edges by'a pair of longitudinal sills 33. Mounted on the upper faces of the longitudinal sills 33 is a series of relatively narrow transverse frame members 35 and an alter nate series of similar relatively wide transverse frame members 35, the narrow frame members being on the one side of each station that supplies negative plates N, and the wider frame members being at the same side of each station that supplies positive 4plates?.v

As best shown in Figure l, each of the transis displaced circumferentially from the radial Verse frame members 35 and 36 provides two support shoulder` 66 with the ends of the blade upwardly extending support columns 31 and 38 overlying the ends of the radial shoulder. For

on opposite sides of the belt M and also proclarity of illustration the blade l! is shown in vides a horizontal shelf 40, The support col- 5 the drawing as having substantial thickness, but umns 3l are interconnected by plates 4| atwill be relatively t n in actual practice. tached thereto by cap screws 52, and the sup- The operation of the set of rotary dispensing port columns 38 are interconnected in the sanie members 2l may be understood by considering manner by plates 43 secured by cap screws 44. Figures 6 and 8 as representing the beginning of The various plate magazines 2l! along the path of 10 an operating cycle in the course of which cycle the conveyor belt i4 are supported by the plate each rotary dispensing member makes a com- 4| and 43 and the separator magazines 25 are plete rotation of 360. At the start of the cycle supported by the horizontal shelves ab. the lowermost plate in the supply stack is sup- Means for dispensing the battery plates ported by the lower radial shoulders 56 of the four open on one side to permit the insertion of addiplate to lift; the rest of the stack sllghtly away tiOnal plates at relativ-Sly low levels when the 20 from the bottom plate. At this point in the cycle supply Stacks require replenishment. the bottom plate is between the blades il and the In the Construction ShOWIl, each f the plate support shoulders lili.v With the weight of the and 43, and each of the two side walls is con- 25 rotate free of the bottom plate synchronously, tinued upward by a pair 0f spaced bars 5| having thus releasing the bottom plate to drop from outward bends 52 at their upper ends. On a third the magazine. The cycle is completed by conside opposite from the Open Side, eah plate magatinued rotation returning the four radial sup- Zine 20 iS plvded Wlth a Smllar upright bar port shoulders 66 to their effective positions under 53 with a similar bend 54 at the top. The third :30 the supply stack, and the four blades H rotating bar 53 is mounted on an angular bar 55 that is away from the stack to permit the stack to drop mounted in turn on one of the side Walls D by onto the four radial support shoulders.

has three upright side wall members to con- Means fordispensing the separators As shown in Figures l, 2 and 5, each of the supply stack.

The stack of supply plates in each of the plate magazines 2i? is supported by the set of rotary dispensing members 2l at the bottom of the magazine and, preferably, as shown in the draw- E0 and is held in place against a circumferential *5f shoulder 5i of the shaft by a washer 62 backed by asuitable nut 63' AS Shwn each rotary dis" At the bottom of each separator magazine E5 the reciprocating dispensing member that sup-- ports the supply stack of separators in the magao zine is slidingly mounted in guide slots 85 provided by the transverse frame members and 36 respectively, as best shown in Figures 2 and 5. Each reciprocating member 26 may be in the form of a horizontal plate cut away to provide a relatively low support surface 86 on the leading portion of the plate and a higher rearward support surface` 87 with an upwardly extending shoulder 88 at the juncture of the two support surfaces.

which, as shown in Figure 8, may have a circum- Inents is a replaceable spacer member of slightly greater thickness than the plates in the magazine. It is contemplated that various sets of such spacers 6l of different thicknesses will be available for use interchangeably SO that theappa The Vertical dimension of the shoulder 88 is ratus may be employed to assemble battery plates Slightly less than the thickness of one @f the of different thicknesses. The uppermost eleseparators S ment 'le of the three is formed with a radial The Cycle v0f operation of the reciprocating beveled blade ll which may have a circumferendispensing member 26 begins with the stack of tial extent somewhat greater than half a circle. separators S resting on the leading support sur- As may be seen in Figure 8 the radial blade 'll 75 face 85 as shown-in Figure 1. As the dispensing Y through the various gear cated in Figure l, is actuated by the main drive accasio- 7. member 26 moves towards the conveyor belt I4; the shoulder 88 engages the bottom separator in thesupply stack and causes the separator to remain on the leading support surface .855 for displacement from the stack. es the bottom separator is displaced romthe supply stack the remainder of the stack comesto rest on the rearward support surface 8l ofxthe dispensingv member.'

As the displaced separator on the leading support surfaceA 8e reaches its extremeposition overy the conveyor belt i4, a suitable stop vmember 9E! pivotally mounted in a bracket Si drops behind the trailing edge of the displaced plate to prevent return movement of the plate with the return movement of the reciprocating member 2S. The stop member 99' may be provided with a suitable spring to reinforce its gravitational tendency to drop into the stopt position. As the reciprocating dispensing member the region of the conveyor beltr M, thedisplaced separator drops into position on the corresponding assembly stack on the conveyor belt and as the reciprocating member reaches its starting position, the rearward support surface El is withdrawn irom the supply stack of separators to permit the stack to drop onto the leading support surface 66 for the start of a new cycle.

Means for actuating the moving parts of the apparatus Any suitable mechanism may be employed to cause the conveyor belt iii to move intermittently, and to operate the rotary dispensing members 2i ofthe plate magazines and the reciprocating dispensing members 2S of the separator magazines in required synchronism with the conveyorV belt. In the presently preferred arrangement illustrated by the drawings, all of the moving parts are actuated by a main drive shaft it@ which, in turn, is driven by a suitable prime mover such as a motor (not shown). The drive shaft mi? is journalled in suitablebearings lill in the base members B ofthe apparatus frame, and in addi tional bearings il2 carried by additional frame members |03 that extend downwardly from the previously mentioned longitudinal sills 33.

For actuation of the two rotary dispensing members 2| of each plate magazine to onthe side of the plate magazine towards the corresponding separator magazine 25, a suitable gear box H5 is mounted on each horizontal plate i3 of the apparatus frame. A suitable countershait H5 extends longitudinally of the apparatus boxes H5 and, as indishaft |03 through the medium oi a sprocket chain lll. The sprocket chain H1 is driven by a suitable sprocket llt on the main drive shaft lilll and passes around two idler sprockets lle to engage a driven sprocket |26 on the countershaft H6.

Asshown in Figures 3 and 5, a pair of worm gears |24 on the countershaft H6 in each gear box 5 drives a pair of corresponding wormgears |25 that are mounted respectively on the previously mentioned vertical shafts 60 carrying the rotary dispensing members 2 i. As shown in Figure 5, each worm gear |25 has a hub portion |26 which is iixed to the shaft Si? by a suitable cross pin |21 and the lower face of the worm gear |25 engages a bearing |23 in the gearv boa to support the shaft B9 andthereby support the rotary dispensing members 2| that carry the weight of the supply stack of the plates.

2t retreats from In theV preferred practice of the invention it is contemplated that the plate magazines 2.0 will be adjustable to accommodate battery plates oi various widths and that such adjustment will be provided by mounting the remaining two outer rotary dispensing members 2| of each plate magazine for movement towards and away from the inner two rotary dispensing members that are actuated by the countershat H6. In the preierred construction, the outer pair oi rotary dispensing members 2| oi each plate magazine 2.13, as well as the corresponding side wall 5i) of the plate magazine, are carried by the corresponding horizontal plate il of the apparatus frame and the required adjustability is achieved simply by forming each plate il with suitable transverse slots |30 (Figure 3) to receive the y previously mentioned cap screws ft2. Thus, the

iii)

4|35 extends into a gear cap screws i2 may be loosened to permit the plates lli to be shifted outward or inward as required for battery plates of different dimensions'.-

Any suitable arrangement may be provided-for driving the outer pairs o rotary dispensing members 2| from the main drive shaft lullin such manner as will permit the described adjustment to accommodate battery plates oi different widths. In the construction shown in the drawings, each outer pair of rotary dispensing members 2| is driven from the main drive shaft t by a suitable flexible or articulated shaft gen erally designated 15. In the preferred construction a bevel gear 136 on the main drive shaft it is in mesh with a second bevel gearV |31 at the lower end or' each shaft |35.

The articulated shaft |35 incorporates two universal joints 35 one of which is connected to a square shaft member i39, the other of which is connected with a shaft member ld having an axial socket to slidingly receive the square shaft member it. The two universal joints |38 make the shaft it flexible or articulate and the telescoping of the square shaft member 38 into the shaft member |49 makes possible changes in length as required to accommodate various positions of adjustment of the outer pair oi rotary dispensing members 2|.

As may be understood by reference to Figures 3 and '5, the upper end of each articulated shaftl box Md and carries a suitable gear it in the gear box that meshes with two corresponding gears m5 carried by the two outer shafts Sii. As shown in Figure 5 each of the gears hl has a hub portion id? that is fixed to the corresponding shaft 5! by a suitable cross pin ids and the lower face ci the gear |1113 rests on a bearing |59 in the gear boX to support the shaft 6% and thereby support the corresponding rotary dispensing member Zi at the lower end of the shaft.

As heretofore stated, one o the features of the invention is the rotation of the various rotary dispensing members 2| in such direction as to urge the battery plates P and N in the various plate magazines away from the open sides of the magazines towards the upright bars 53 on the opposite sides oi' the magazines. Since in the preferred form ci my apparatus shown in the drawings, the open sides of the magazines supplying the negative plates face oppositely from the open sides oi the magazines supplying the positive plates, it is apparent that as viewed in plan in Figure 3, the rotary dispensing member '.l supportingthe negative plates N should rotate oppositely with respect to the corresponding rotary dispensing members 2| supporting the positive plates. the Worm gears main drive shaft Il.

For actuation of the reciprocating dispensing member 26 at the bottom of each separator magazine 25 the main drive shaft It carries a The spring I normally holds the sleeve IS2 against the stop iiange I63 so that the rocker arm ISI) normally follow the movements of the rocker arm I 58. If any obstacle seriously impedes the leftward movement of the rocker arm SEQ, as viewed in Figure 1, the spring I 55 will corresponding reciprocating dispensing member 2E,

To operate conveyor belt I4 in the required intermittent manner, a sprocket (not shown) on the countershaft IIS is connected by a sprocket chain I'II with a sprocket H2 that actuates mechanism (not shown) in a Operation The operation of the of the invention will be readily understood from the spacing between the various plates and spacers deposited during each pause so that assembly stacks of battery plates and separators build up progressively on the conveyor belt. At any one moment the successive stacks may be seen in progressive states of assembly. Thus, f

intermittently in the course -one plates and twenty inwhen belt I 4 pauses of assembling twent .lil tervening separators, there will be one plate and separator at the first station on the belt, two plates and separators on the belt at the second station, etc., to a final stack of twenty-one plates The apparatus may be operated for example to advance the conveyor belt Il! every three seconds for the delivery of twenty completely assembled stacks per minute. It is apparent that solely to keeping the various plate magazines and separator magazines replenished. 'I'he open construction of the magazines makes their contents visible at a glance and the magazines are constructed to facilitate replenishment With minimum labor.

My description in detail of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention will suggest to those skilled in spirit of the appended claims.

I claim: l. In an apparatus for assembling the plates and separators of a storage battery, the com` bination of: a conveyor for movement in a path past a series of stations; a magazine at each of said stations to hold a supply of plates, said path, and operative to deposit a plate on the conveyor; a magazine at each of said stations to hold a supply of separators, said separator tion to station; and means to operate all said plate magazines in unison to drop plates on said conveyor during the pauses of the conveyor and to operate said to deposit separators on the conveyor during the saine pauses with a timed interval between the depositing of the plates and the depositing of progressively.

2. In an apparatus for assembling the plates and separators of a storage battery, the com` of said stations to hold a supply of separators, said separator magazine being disposed to one side of said path, and including a reciprocating dispensing member operative to displace separators from the separator the art various changes, sub-A separator magazines in unisony magazine to the conveyor directly under said plate magazines; means to advance said conveyor intermittently from station to station; and means to operate all said plate magazines in unii son to drop plates on said conveyor during the pauses of the conveyer and to operate said se, arator magazines in unison to deposit separators on-the conveyer during the same pauses with a timed interval between the depositing of the plates and the depositing of the separators whereby stacks of plates and alternate separators are built up on the conveyer progressively.

3. An apparatus as set forth in 2 which includes means to engage the displaced separators on said reciprocating means to prevent return movement of the displaced separators.

4. In an apparatus for assembling the plates and separators of a storage battery, the'combination of: a conveyor for movement in a path past a series of uniformly spaced stations; a magazine above said conveyor at each of said stations to hold a supply or" plates; a set of rotary members at the bottom of each of said magazines to support the plates in the magazines and by rotation to release the plates one at a time; a magazine to one side of said path at each of said stations to hold a supply of separators; a reciprocatory dispensing member at the bottom of -each of said separator magazines to support the separators therein, said 'member being adapted to lshift the separators one at a time onto said conveyor; means to advance said conveyor the distance between successive stations intermittently; a drive shaft extending in a direction of said path and operatively connected with said sets of rotary members, said drive shaft being synchronized with said advancing means to cause said sets of members to release one plate at each of said stations during each pause of the conveyor; a second shaft extending in the direction of said path and operatively connected with said reciprocatory members, said second shaft being synchronized with said advancing means to cause said reciprocatory members to displace one separator onto said conveyor at each station during each'pause of said conveyor with a time interval between the release of the plates to the conveyor and the shifting of the separators onto the conveyor.

5. In an apparatus of the character described having a conveyor for progressively assembling stacks of alternate battery plates and separators, the combination therewith of spaced plate dispensers above the path of the conveyor, and spaced separator dispensers adjacent the path of the conveyer each of said plate dispensers comprising: a magazine with upright side members to hold a stack of the plates; spaced rotary dispensing members at the bottom of the magazine, each having a lower peripheral flange and an upper peripheral blade displaced from each other circumferentially and spaced vertically from each other by at least the thickness of a plate whereby in the rotation of the member, first, the flange .engages the underside of the bottom plate of the stack., second, the blade engages the next to bottom plate, third, the flange releases the bottom plateto fall to the conveyor through a given distance, and fourth the blade releases the stack to the ange; each of said separator dispensers including a stack of separator plates the lower end of which is at a level below the lower end of the associated battery plate magazine but higher than the conveyer whereby a separator plate may be laterally r du ` having conveyor means for 1-2 deposited Yon top of a battery plate within 'said given distance after the latter has been dropped onto said conveyor, without being blocked vby said battery plate magazine, and means synchronized with the movement of said conveyor to operate said rotary members in unison to drop the plates at spaced locations on the conveyor.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which one side of said magazine is open to permit additional plates to .be added from said one side.

7.'A combination as set forth in claim 6 in which said members rotate in directions to urge the plates in the magazine inward from the open side of the magazine.

8. A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which at least some of the rotary dispensing members at the bottom of the magazine are movable laterally for adjustment to accommodate plates of dierent dimensions.

9. A combination as set forth in claim 8 in which the movable rotary members are con nected with va movable side wall of the magazine for simultaneous adjustment of the rotary members and the side wall.

l0. A combination as set forth in claim 9 in which said rotary members are driven by a shaft that is flexible for adjustmentv movement with the rotary members.

l1. A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which said conveyor operates intermittently and the rotary members are synchronized to release a plate during each pause in the movement of the conveyor.

l2. A combination asset forth in claim 5 in which the peripheral ange and the peripheral blade of each rotary member are adjustable in vertical spacing relative to each other to accommodate plates of different thicknesses.

13. A combination as set forth in claim l2 which includes a removable spacer between each ange and blade wherebya spacer of one .t ickness may bereplaced'by a spacer of a different thickness to vary the vertical distance between the flange and blade.

lll. In an apparatus of the character described progressively assembling stacks of alternate battery plates and separators, the combination therewith of spaced separator dispensers the conveyer, and spaced above the path of the conveyer, each of said separator dispensers comprising: a magazine withV upright side members to hold a stack of the separators; a reciprocatory dispensing member to support the separators in the magazine, said dispensing member being directed toward said conveyor and having a leading surface to support the stack at one level, a shoulder at the rear of said surface kof vertical dimension not more than the thickness of a separator, and a rear surface to support the stack at a higher level, whereby in the reciprocation of the member, first, the stack is supported by said leading surface, second, said shoulder engages the bottom separator of the stack to cause the separator to follow forward movement ofthe member for displacement from the stack, third, the bottom separator is displaced and the weight of the stach is shifted to said rear support surface, fourth, the dispensing member returns without the displaced separater and the weight of the stack is shifted back to said leading support surface; each of said battery plate dispensers including a stach of battery platesand operative to drop the lowerrnost bat tery plate onto said conveyor, the lowermost plate battery plate dispensers to one side of the path ofk plate dispensing member.

15. A combination as set forth in claim 14 which includes means to engage the displaced separator to keep the displaced separator from following the return movement of the dispensing member.

16. In an apparatus for assembling the plates and separators of a storage battery,

conveyor to operate said rotary dispensing members in unison to drop a plate at each station at each station being disposed directly above said conveyer path a given distance, the other of said magazines at each station being disposed at the said other magazines are alternately built up into stacks on the conveyer progressively.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

